Chapter Two: I Thought I'd Never See You Again

My summer was pretty bummed out. Sure, I did fun stuff with family and friends but everything reminded me of Zach. When I ate my favorite ice cream that he also liked...When I played my guitar...When I talked to Joey...When I went to a party...When I saw a bottle of beer...When I saw a couple kissing...When I saw the color green...He was everywhere.

Sometimes I even thought I was seeing him but then I realized it was only because I wanted to see him. It was ridiculous. One night. One night changed everything. I talked to a guy for a couple hours and it was as if I was head over heels in love. Crazy, right? I mean, all I could think about was if he was missing me too or if he was having fun with his friends, my name not crossing his mind once...All I could think about was that kiss...how soft his hair felt in my hands...how his strong arms felt around me...

All I could think about was him.

But then, on the first day of my junior year at Gallagher, the announcement was made.


We were in the great hall eating our dinner when my mom walked up to the podium.

"I have an announcement to make everyone." She spoke into the microphone.

We looked to the front and all chatter stopped instantly.

"Tomorrow morning our junior year will be leaving to go to another school. It is a lot similar to our school but different in many ways. You will not know where or what the school is until we get there. We will remain there for the rest of the year. You don't have to wear your uniforms during this exchange, either. So, get ready girls. When you're done with your dinner, head upstairs to pack." With that, she walked back to her seat. (Of course, it was all said in Spanish since we were speaking it during dinner as an exam for our langue course, but, you know...)

"Wonder what that is." Macey said, turning back to the table.

Bex shrugged. "Probably just some boarding school for snotty rich heiresses."

"Most likely." Liz agreed.

I just sat there playing with my food, my face expressionless as I stared off into space. I didn't really care. All I wanted was to see Zach again. I flashed back to when we met, how I walked up to him and said, "Take a picture, it'll last longer." It had been one night! Just one night! Why was I not over him by then? I mean, it had been nearly three months since the party yet he was still all I wanted.

"...ammie. Cam. Cams!"

I snapped out of it as Bex tried to get my attention. "What? Yes, yes. Sorry, what were you saying?"

She looked at me sincerely. "You need to eat, Cam." Her accent stuck out a little. (She's a Brit.)

I finally put my fork down from where it was twirling through my spaghetti. I couldn't eat it. Not when Zach had said it was his favorite during our game. "I'm not really hungry."

"Cammie, you've been down in the dumps all summer. We're going to another school for an entire semester. Can't you at least eat your dinner?" Macey looked at me, hope in her eyes.

I knew they were worried about me but...I couldn't.

"Guys, I can't. I can't even look at this without thinking about him. Spaghetti is his favorite. His favorite instrument to play is guitar. Joey raised him because his mom didn't want him. His eyes are green. We drank beer when we met. We met at a party. I was wearing my favorite All American Rejects tee that night. He likes them too. We have the same favorite ice cream. Literally everything reminds me of him. He's everywhere. I can't stop thinking about him. I see him everywhere just because I want to see him." I ran my hands through my hair like I did when I was frustrated. Zach ran his hands through his hair when I caught him staring the first time. "Ugh! Even running my hands through my hair reminds me of him!"

"It's called caring about someone, Cammie." Liz placed a hand on my arm.

"I shouldn't care about him this much! We met literally once. One time." I argued.

"Yeah, well, thinking about someone 24/7 is usually a side effect of very dramatic kissing." Macey, our resident boy expert, informed us.

I glared at her, sarcasm dripping from my next words. "Thanks. I didn't notice."

She just shrugged and took a bite of her garlic bread. "It's true. But seriously, we hate seeing you like this. Can't you at least try to act like your normal sardonic but happy self during this exchange?"

Sighing, I gave in. "I'll try, but I"m not making any promises." A few minutes later, we all retired to our rooms. I just put everything I owned into three suitcases and a duffel bag. New record. Liz had 5 suitcases, three of which were full of experiments and tech. Bex had five as well (one of which was inhabited by weapons, that she kept "for protection") but Macey...In case you didn't figure it out all ready, Macey is the fashionista of our group. Her dad is the Senator and her mom is the head of a global cosmetics company so it basically runs in her blood. So when I say this girl had eight suitcases and two duffel bags, plus a backpack, I mean she literally had eight suitcases, two duffel bags and a backpack.

In the middle of the, night when they were all asleep, I snuck out of bed, pulled my favorite TAAR hoodie over sports bra with my gym shorts and opened the door, slipping outside, grabbing something out of my drawer in the process. See, I hadn't noticed until I got back home, but that night Zach had sipped something in my pocket. It was a bracelet. It wasn't expensive or anything, just a regular bracelet with black beads. I hadn't even realized he'd been wearing it. The only bead that was different on the bracelet was the white Z hanging off the center. He gave me his bracelet. So, since then, every night I wore it and my t-shirt, snuck down to the kitchen and raided the freezer until I found the birthday cake ice cream. All night long, I'd sit on the counter and eat ice cream and cry and blast my TAAR playlist, thinking of Zach.

And that's what I did that night before the exchange.

When I finished the entire tub of ice cream, I disposed of the trash and dried my tears, heading back to the room, every single thing about Zach running through my head the whole time.


The next morning, at 7 am, Macey was getting us all "ready" for the trip. She dressed Liz in a white pelted skirt with a pink button down tucked in and pink toms, her make-up natural and hair in low pigtails, pearl earrings summing up the look. She looked innocent and sweet, just like the girl she is. Bex wore a flowly red lace top that wasn't too showy with a cropped leather jacket and skinny jeans, combat boots on her feet. Her make-up, as usual, was more of a dark look with the red lipstick and burgundy eye-shadow. Honestly, it looked good on her. It made her deep brown eyes pop. Her hair was in a half up half down. Macey McHenry herself wore a simple spaghetti strap dress that stopped at about mid thigh with black ankle boots, her hair pulled into a high ponytail. She tied a black belt around her waist and did her make-up natural with blue features, but her lipstick was black.

Me, though, she did not go easy on me. I was forced into four button three inch shorts that were ruffled at the ends and a white adida's crop top that had tiny colorful adida's symbols on it, matching black and white adida's on my feet. My hair was curled and left down, my make-up...Well, Macey made my sapphire blue eyes "pop" with thick black eyeliner, mascara and black eye-shadow, my hot pink lipstick completing the look. I had a small adida's backpack where I put money, chocolate, a couple snacks, my charger, my phone, a few extra make-up tools just in case and...Zach's bracelet.

I ran my fingers over the Z for a few seconds, a sad smile forming on my face as I reminisced about the night three months earlier before-

"Cam? You coming?" Liz asked from the door way.

Looking up, I put on a fake smile. "Yeah, just on second." Throwing the bracelet into the bag, I grabbed my things and followed everyone outside.

All of us Gallagher Girls loaded our bags in the bus (can anyone say charter?) and found our seats. I sat with Bex, Macey and Liz sitting in the seats in front of us. I spent most of the ride staring blankly out the window, not really seeing or hearing anything. It didn't matter to me. I didn't care or feel the excitement I would usually feel when going somewhere unknown. All I could think about was that night. He infuriated me. Zach infuriated me. I hated his stupid smirk, I hated his unbelievably soft hair (there is no way he doesn't use conditioner), I hated his beautiful green eyes, I hated his strong arms, I hated his soft lips, I hated his hot arrogant demeanor, I hated him for making me think about him. All I could think about was him. I didn't even know why. It had only been three hours, if that! Yet he was on my mind 24/7.

If I saw him again I made a vow to flip him. Yeah, I was going to flip him.

And I was going to kiss him.

Then I'd flip him.

Yeah, Cammie. You'll kiss him then you'll flip him. That's how it's going to work. I wonder if he'll be so confident with his status as rising general when I'm done with him. I doubt it.

Either way, even if I was going to break his arm when I did, all I wanted was to see him again.


Five bathroom breaks, 10 chocolate bars, 30 made up rumors from Tina, 3 replays of my 10000 song playlist and 14 hours (yeah, you read right. 14 hours) later, we pulled into large black gates. I was too endorsed in my phone and thoughts of Zach to even look at the words above the gate.

We unloaded our bags and stood waiting for someone to come to us. My mom was talking but I wasn't listening. I was taking in the huge building in front of me, the life less grey of it, the spotless grounds around it...It looked familiar. I just couldn't place it.

Then I heard footsteps banging against the ground in perfect union. All the Gallagher Girls turned to see teenage boys in black camoflauge military uniforms moving towards us. Waita second. Military uniforms...

One in the front wearing a green uniform suddenly yelled, "HALT!", and all movement froze.

As I looked closer at him, I noticed something. No. It couldn't be. Could it? No, that would just be a crazy coincidence. It couldn't be. That stuff only happens in movies. But...

"Zach?" I asked, ripping off my sunglasses.

The boy in the green uniform looked at me, recognition flashing in his green eyes. "Gallagher Girl?"

A smile broke out on my face at the sound of the nickname, the first in months, and I dropped my bags along with my sunglasses and ran forward, launching myself into his arms and pressing my lips to his.

His arms wrapped around my waist and my fingers threaded through his hair. He licked my lip for entrance and I gave it to him, allowing him to explore every corner of my mouth. I got on my tip toes and he gripped my hips, pulling us impossibly closer as he pressed his lips harder to mine, causing me to moan into his mouth. It was better than our first kiss, because our desire and need for each other was poured into it. I would never forget that moment, the moment where everything was forgotten- my gloomy summer, my reminiscing, my crankiness. None of it mattered. Because I had him back. He was there and so was I. And it was all I wanted.

When we could no longer hold our breath, which was like 3 minutes later, we pulled away, pressing our foreheads together.

Zach breathed heavily, staring into my blue eyes with his green ones. "I thought I'd never see you again."

I smiled. "Niether did I." But then I remembered something. "Actually, that reminds me."

Before he could say anything I grabbed his arm, flipped him over my shoulder and held his arm in a place where at the slightest movement it would be broken, my knee digging into his back.

"What the hell, Cam?" He grunted as the boys laughed behind us and the girls smirked, shouting encouragement.

"That's for leaving me to think about you all summer." I stood and roundhouse kicked him to the ground. "That's for not telling me when you put the bracelet in my pocket." I punched him in the gut when he stood. "That's for kissing me just to leave me alone and miserable for three months." I kicked him in the shin from behind, knocking him to the stone ground again. "That's for making me make my friends and family worried because I wasn't acting like my usual happy self." I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him up, looking him in the eyes with an evil glint before I brought my knee up to his chest, knocking him down again. "And that, my dear Blackthorne Boy, is for being so fucking amazing that I was dying without you after one. Freaking. Night."

With that, I took his hand and helped him up, kissing him quickly once more, smiling sweetly when I pulled away. "Still missed you though!"

Our audience laughed again, causing us to turn to them. Zach had a couple bruises beginning to form and was having trouble standing so I put my arm around his waist to hold him up. He narrowed his eyes at me and I just smiled innocently back at him.